Winter in the Seattle/Metro area is a lot like Fall, except its colder, rains even more, and makes it much more difficult to keep our socks dry in our sandals.  Even more troubling, visibility behind the wheel is significantly diminished, reducing driver reaction time and the ability to notice roadside hazards.  In the torrents of our famed liquid sunshine, the standard halogen headlamps of many cars don’t do enough to help motorists avoid vision-related accidents.  If this sounds dimly like your nighttime driving experience, you might want to consider upgrading your vehicle with an LED or HID lighting system.  

To understand just how far technology has already driven modern headlights past the old halogen bulbs, look no further than Xenon, also known as HID (high intensity discharge) headlamps on the market today. 
Xenon headlights are capable of producing a massive 3500 lumens (more than twice the lumens of many halogen bulbs), while using significantly less energy.  Top rated Xenon lights are rated for an operating time of 2500 hours – more than twice the length of an equivalent halogen bulb.
In addition to vastly improving visibility in any weather condition, Xenon headlights also expand a driver’s peripheral vision by illuminating outer lanes and roadside pedestrian traffic.  On certain streets you’ll actually be able to see around corners. 
LED headlights produce the same qualities as their HID counterparts, but tend to split the difference of illumination and power consumption improvements between HID and halogen lamps. Nonetheless, LED lighting systems are fast emerging as the technology more automakers will adopt in the future, thanks to their small customizable size and possibly lower cost in the near future.  In time its expected LED lights have the potential to meet and exceed the capabilities of HID headlamps.
Torklift Central is currently testing a wide array of automotive LED lights in an effort to stock the very best LED lighting system on the market today.  As always, Torklift Central’s team of expert technicians is happy to assist you with any custom light system fabrication you can dream up.  Let us know you’re vision – we’ll make it happen.   
Learn more about the Vision X HID 8500 Series we carry here.

Picture Courtesy of Ecogarf